2023-08-31 10:17:12
The draw for the Champions League will take place this Thursday evening at 6 p.m. in Monaco. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is obviously present for this event which will determine the European season to come. In an interview at The Team, he mentioned for the first time the affair of the forced kiss which has shaken Spain and the world of football since the final of the Women’s World Cup on August 20. Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Federation (he is currently suspended from his duties by Fifa), had kissed the player Jennifer Hermoso on the mouth, a gesture which she later condemned, saying he was not consented.
Ceferin himself appointed Rubiales in 2019 as UEFA vice-president
“Any comments I might make would feel like pressure,” Ceferin began. I just have to say that I am sad that such an event overshadows the victory of the Spanish national team. We should change things. “Before adding:” Of course, what he did is inappropriate. We all know that. I hope he knows that was inappropriate. »
The UEFA president was cautious in his responses, explaining that Rubiales’ case was “in the hands of the disciplinary body of the International Federation”. Ceferin had himself appointed Luis Rubiales as vice-president of the European football body in May 2019. A function from which he is also suspended, in the same way as the presidency of the Spanish Federation.
Aleksander Ceferin also spoke of the rise of the Saudi championship, which notably attracted Cristiano Ronaldo (Al-Nassr), Neymar (Al-Hilal) or the Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema (Al-Ittihad). Many players from the European championships, under the aegis of UEFA, gave in to the sirens of Saudi Arabia this summer (the transfer window ends there on September 20). “It’s not a danger, swept Ceferin. We saw a similar approach from China, which bought players at the end of their careers by offering them a lot of money. Result: Chinese football did not develop and qualify for the World Cup after that. »
“Mbappé and Haaland do not dream of Saudi Arabia”
“As far as I know, Mbappé and Haaland do not dream of Saudi Arabia,” he continued. The best players at the top of their game, I don’t think they would go to Saudi Arabia. When I am told about the players who have gone there, no one knows where they play. “The UEFA president also denied the potential participation of Saudi clubs in the next editions of the European Cups: “Only European clubs can participate in the Champions League, the Europa League or the Europa League Conference. »
Ceferin also mentioned the Super League project, this championship between top European clubs which had provoked a revolt among football players on the continent. UEFA was opposed to this project, competitive with its Champions League. “We are talking about a danger which, for me, does not exist, he explains about a possible return of the project. I have never been afraid. It could never have happened. And that can never happen. »
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